


La belle dame sans merci

by Dissenter



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate universe - home sky/war sky, BAMF Kyouko, Canonical Attempted Suicide, Cloud Hana, Dying will Tsuna has game, F/M, Gender Roles, Hayato needs to be wrapped up in blankets and given cuddles, Healthy Relationships, Home Sky Tsuna, Love Confessions, Non-Traditional Gender Roles, Normal Tsuna does not, Reborn is a troll, Social expectations, War Sky Kyouko, dying will bullets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2019-09-13 22:21:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16900914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dissenter/pseuds/Dissenter
Summary: In which Sasagawa Kyouko's smile is full of knives, and Tsuna loves her for it.





	1. Red roses

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I keep starting more fics I don't have time to write. It's a problem.   
> But the thought of machiavellian War Sky Kyouko and Home Sky Tsuna just wouldn't leave me alone. Because the Home Sky/War Sky idea is addictive.

Tsuna noticed things. He always had. He might be useless at just about everything else, sports, schoolwork, making friends, but he had always always noticed things. Things that other people sometimes didn’t.

Tsuna noticed things, and one of the things he noticed was that Sasagawa Kyouko’s smile was full of knives. He didn’t know when exactly he’d first noticed, perhaps it had always been that way, but the edges had been growing steadily sharper ever since they stated middle school. He honestly wasn’t sure how everyone else missed it.

But they did. They really truly did. As far as the world at large was concerned, Sasagawa Kyouko was sweet, and innocent, and kind, and didn’t have a fierce bone in her body. She was the school idol, the ideal of femininity, all the boys loved her, all the girls looked up to her, and not one of them saw beneath the surface.

Or no. That wasn’t fair. Tsuna was pretty sure Kurokawa, at least saw more than the general herd, he couldn’t think of many other reasons someone like Kurokawa would be drawn to such a stereotype of helpless femininity. And speaking of herds Hibari senpai probably had an inkling. Not much got past Hibari senpai. But most people looked at Sasagawa Kyouko and never noticed the knives behind her smile. People were blind.

Sasagawa Kyouko’s smile was full of knives, and Tsuna loved her with a desperate, wild, adoration. Not that it was surprising that loser Tsuna would have a crush on the school idol. After all everyone else did. But where everyone else loved her for being pretty, and sweet, and gentle, for the mask she chose to show the world, Tsuna loved her for the teeth in her smile, for the predator that lurked behind every display of seeming innocence.

He wanted to see her snarl, or fight, or destroy someone with words and a smile, wanted to see her teeth bared, and her claws out. And, in dark secret moments of the night he could admit to himself that truly, he wanted her to push him down, to make him beg, he wanted her to make him _hers_ and declare the world would never touch him again. He wanted her to go to war for him.

He suspected maybe he wasn’t supposed to think like that, but, well, he failed at just about everything else he was _supposed_ to do. At least in this, he could be something Kyouko chan needed. Someone who loved her for who she _was,_ rather than who they wanted her to be.

Not that he dared confess to her. Loser Tsuna having a crush on the school idol was one thing, people expected that. Loser Tsuna having the nerve to actually confess to her, well that was something else entirely. That was a defiance of the school hierarchy that would not go unpunished.

Maybe that made him a coward. It wouldn’t be surprising, just another failure. Failure was a familiar experience. Kyouko chan deserved to know someone loved her for who she was under the smiles, and yet he dared not tell her. She deserved someone she could be herself with, somewhere she could relax the masks and _breathe_ because she was home and someone would take care of her. He wanted to give her that and yet he was silent, and for that, he hated himself more than a little.

And then a bullet made of fire and sunlight ripped through his chest and it was like all the fight and fierceness and _will_ that he’d forgotten how to feel, came rushing back into him, and he found himself _acting_ rather than wishing. He found himself in front of the school gates in nothing but his boxers, and it didn’t matter because he was on his knees in front of Kyouko, and for once in his life he was being brave.

“Let me be your Home.” He said, with only a vague awareness of the world beyond Kyouko’s wide startled eyes. “Let me watch your back while you shred your enemies, and watch over you while you rest, and build a castle for you to rule the world from. Please.” Kyouko looked surprised but also considering, and he realised that the outright rejection he’d half expected wasn’t coming. It was a perfect moment.

And then the flame went out and he suddenly became aware of the crowds surrounding them, staring at him, on his knees in his underwear, and he realised that Hibari senpai was going to bite him to death. A moment later he also realised that he’d interrupted Mochida senpai’s own attempt at a confession, and faced with the chaos of outrage, and death threats, and challenges to mortal combat he could really only find one response.

“Hieeeee”.

Then the bell rang and it had been a mad scramble for everyone to get to class before Hibari senpai showed up, and somehow, Tsuna never got a chance to hear Kyouko chan’s response.

Tsuna, honestly did not feel qualified to fight Mochida senpai. He did not feel qualified at all. But then, sometimes it seemed like the universe was full of things Tsuna wasn’t qualified to deal with but was forced to anyway. Mafia heirdoms, Maths tests, basic human interaction, and he knew for a fact there was no escape. After all, there never was.

A part of him didn’t actually want to escape. Kyouko chan might not have agreed to be his, not agreed to take him as hers, not yet anyway, but she certainly didn’t belong to Mochida senpai who didn’t even notice how fierce and deadly she was. He wanted to keep her safe, to keep away _anything_ that made her unhappy, and he _noticed_ just by looking that the way Mochida senpai talked made her unhappy.

He didn’t feel qualified to deal with this situation, but then another bullet of fire and sunlight ripped through him and that didn’t matter anymore. He flattened Mochida senpai for _daring_ to disrupt  Kyouko’s happiness, for challenging her, and it wasn’t until the fire died back again that he realised he was mostly naked again. In front of most of the school again. And Hibari senpai did not look pleased.

“Hieeeee.”

But after, when he’d managed to find some trousers, and was trying to work out how to slink off home with a minimum of public humiliation Kyouko chan had come and found him.

“It was very sweet. You trying to defend my honour like that.” She said, with a careful smile. “But you do know I can look after myself.” Tsuna nodded frantically, and found himself speaking almost without conscious will.

“Of course. But that doesn’t mean you should need to. Not always. You deserve to feel comfortable in your own home town.” When she didn’t respond he carried on, emboldened. “Just because you’re strong, and deadly, and amazing, doesn’t mean you should have to constantly prove it to deluded idiots like that.”

“You really do think I’m strong don’t you.” Kyouko chan said, in a tone that was something like wonder something like curiosity, choosing not to address the rest of what he’d said. “Hardly anyone thinks I’m strong.”

“Of course.” Tsuna said simply. He’d spoken too much truth already for it to be worth lying now, and it was clear it was something Kyouko chan needed to hear. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, and before she could speak, Kurokawa showed up.

“There you are.” Kurokawa said in exasperation. “Come on we’re going to be late. You can talk to the monkey later.”

“I’m coming Hana chan. Just give me a second.” And then Kyouko chan gave Tsuna an assessing look. “You bake don’t you, Sawada kun?”

“Y-yes.” Tsuna admitted, disoriented by the sudden change in subject. “My mother taught me.”

“I’d very much like to try some of your baking.” Kyouko said with a smile that was like the sun rising. “Would you make something for me?” Tsuna nodded so frantically it felt like his head might fall off.

“That’s settled then. We can meet up tomorrow, and you can show me your cooking, and we can talk some more.” Tsuna nodded some more, feeling rather like the power of speech might have deserted him.

Before she left she turned again, almost shyly this time. “Oh and Sawada kun? Would it be ok, maybe, if I called you Tsuna kun.”

“Y-yes.” He managed to force the words out as she left.

“Good work Dame Tsuna” Reborn said from the locker he’d been hiding in. “Your mafia seduction skills are developing nicely.

“Hieee. Reborn. What are you doing in Kusakabe san’s locker?”


	2. Holly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko thinks there's something different about the way Sawada Tsunayoshi looks at her. She finds that she really wants him to keep looking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I'm pretty sure i'm going to alternate Tsuna and Kyouko pov's, with maybe the occasional perspectives from Reborn and others for flavour.

Kyouko was six kinds of coward, she knew that. Even if she had everyone else fooled, she knew.

Everyone thought she was sweet, and kind, and gentle, the perfect housewife in the making, and she _let_ them think that, even encouraged it, because it was easier, because she was a coward and it was so much easier to be what everyone expected.

Pretty girls are meant to be pliable, pretty girls are meant to be chased, pretty girls are meant to wait at home and love strong domineering men. Even her own brother thought it, and it was so so much easier to just be what everyone expected. Even if it broke her just a little inside. Because there was no rest and no escaping from the world’s demands, no shelter from what was expected, no-one to stand beside her and tell her she was _right_ and they would back her to the end.

But Kyouko wasn’t pliable, wasn’t gentle, wasn’t someone who could happily wait at home while others went out to fight. She’d known that since she was just five years old, waiting for her brother to come home bleeding and hating every moment of it. She wanted to keep him safe, but he kept going out and fighting and leaving her, to wait at home and tend his wounds with a smile and kind words, and worry. No, if the world was a war, and evidence seemed to indicate it was, then Kyouko wanted to fight it. The thought of waiting at home wondering how the battle would turn out sounded just a little like being buried alive, like suffocating, like death.

The boys all looked at her, and _wanted,_ but they didn’t want _her_. They didn’t want the predatory intent, and the love of the chase, and the desire to burn all who would challenge her to ashes. They wanted the sweet and perfect princess they’d built in their minds and that wasn’t her. It wasn’t her they wanted, so she didn’t want them. She didn’t want _any_ of them.

But, then there was Sawada Tsunayoshi, on his knees in front of her, and against all her expectations, there was something there, in that moment.

Kyouko knew Hana was confused. Hana knew exactly how little interest Kyouko had in dating, how much she resented the way the boys desired her, Hana after all, knew pretty much everything there was to know about Kyouko. So now she kept giving Kyouko little looks, as though she wanted to ask what exactly had possessed Kyouko but couldn’t quite bring herself to initiate that kind of emotional conversation.

Truth be told Kyouko herself wasn’t quite sure what had possessed her, except that Sawada Tsunayoshi wasn’t like the other boys.

The way he looked at her was different.

The other boys looked at her, and they _wanted,_ and it made her half want to crawl out of her own skin, because she knew they wanted her in their homes, in their beds, cooking their meals, bearing their children, cheering them on. They wanted her sweet, and pretty, and _theirs,_ and she _hated_ it. They looked and they didn’t see her, they saw their own desires reflected back at them.

Tsuna looked at her and _wanted_ as well. But what he wanted wasn’t what they wanted, was different. It hadn’t really registered, until that morning, when he’d dropped to his knees in front of her and looked up at her like a queen, like a Goddess, like he would happily spend the rest of his life at her feet in adoration, and something at the back of her mind had sat up in interest, in _desire,_ and whispered _yes this, want this._

Nice girls, she was fairly sure, weren’t supposed to think about such things, but she couldn’t get the image out of her mind. All through classes, every time she closed her eyes, she saw it, Sawada Tsunayoshi, in his underwear, on his knees in front of her, and it wasn’t what she _should_ want, but by the end of the day she was becoming increasingly sure it was what she _did_ want.

Kyouko was six kinds of coward and maybe this was her punishment, because if she’d been braver she might have looked at Tsunayoshi sooner, might have seen sooner. But popular girls weren’t supposed to look at boys like Tsunayoshi, not that way. If he hadn’t proved to be the braver of the two of them maybe she never would have looked.

She was looking now, and she didn’t want to look away.

He brought her cake the next day, just like she’d asked. Marble cake, strikingly patterned and comfortingly sweet, and how had he known to choose something simple. Kyouko loved cakes of all kinds, of course, but the solid comfort of the foil wrapped parcel he gave her, felt just a little like _home,_ like the promise of a warm hearth fire, and a welcoming smile, and dinner waiting on the table when she walked through the door. It was _perfect._

Then the new boy kicked Tsuna kun’s desk over, and Kyouko felt so very angry. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been so angry. So she followed him after school, followed him, and saw him challenge her Tsuna to a duel, and her vision went orange.

She might have killed him. Part of her _wanted_ to kill him. But, Tsuna had stopped her, had put himself between her and Gokudera, and asked her to stop, please, and she didn’t have it in her to refuse when he asked. And, as the rage subsided, and her vision cleared just a little, she could see why her Tsuna wanted to protect Gokudera kun. Because when she looked at him, really looked, she could see that Gokudera kun was as fragile as spun glass, and desperate for a place to call home. The aggression was a front, she realised, a front to hide a gentle soul, and she could sense something in Gokudera kun reaching out to Tsuna in a way that screamed he expected to be slapped away. She was glad she hadn’t hurt him.

She was only half paying attention as her Tsuna (just when had he become hers), introduced her to Hayato, instead focusing on the odd sense of connection that had sprung up between the two boys. It felt a little like the connection between Kyouko and her Hana, but a little different too, Kyouko wasn’t sure what it was but she knew it was _important._

It was important, and her Tsuna knew something about it but not nearly enough, and Kyouko knew even less. That was a state of affairs that could not be allowed to stand. Questions would need to be answered, and she had a feeling Tsuna would know where to look for those answers.

Carefully though. She should regroup first, make sure she had all her forces in order before making a move. She wanted her Hana with her as backup for one thing, and it would probably be best to have her Tsuna somewhere he felt was safe before she started pushing, that way he wouldn’t need to feel threatened.

“Hey, Tsuna kun. Would it be ok if Hana and I came over to your place to study?” She smiled at him, sweet, and deadly, and ruthless. Tsuna nodded silently, with a dazed look in his eyes, and a soft smile on his lips.

“Good. I’ll see you in a couple of hours then, yes.” She said brightly. It was after all probably best to give him at least a bit of time to recover from the earlier excitement, as well as allowing her a chance to explain things to Hana. Poor Hana, Kyouko supposed she did have a tendency to drag her into things without warning. She really should work on that a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Kyouko knows nothing about the mafia. She's running on pure Sky instinct at this point.   
> She wants answers. She also wants Tsuna.  
> And yes Hayato did indeed just bond with Tsuna. Only in this au, instead of protecting him from his own bombs, Tsuna protected him from a raging War Sky, and Hayato, unlike the rest of the kids, actually knows what that means.  
> This is also about the moment that Reborn figures out Kyouko is Tsuna's War Sky. He's still calculating the possibilities for chaos, but his havoc senses are screaming that he has an opportunity to fuck with people. He is most pleased. No-one ever needs to know it took him that long to figure out.


	3. Chrysanthemum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana doesn't know what is going on but she's going to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried writing this from Reborn's pov, and then Hayato's, before finally settling on Hana.

Hana was entirely mystified about why Kyouko was so set on going to Sawada’s house to study, out of the blue, when they had originally been planning a cake appreciation day. It really wasn’t like Kyouko to turn away cake. But then, there was a lot about Kyouko’s interest in Sawada that was mystifying.

Or perhaps not. From a certain perspective Kyouko’s interest in Sawada actually made perfect sense. He was, if nothing else, at least the opposite of the monkeys that usually pestered Kyouko. The ones that made Kyouko’s smile turn sharp and brittle as glass and made the Rage itch under Hana’s skin, with their arrogance and their smug smiles, and their _expectations_. Sawada was at least very different from them. None of their overbearing, demanding, aura of _entitlement,_ and maybe Hana could see why Kyouko might find that appealing.

But that still didn’t explain everything. Hana couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was definitely something suspicious going on these last couple of days, and the nebulous, undefined _thing_ between Sawada and Kyouko was just one part of it. There was of course the obvious, the way that Sawada had appeared out of nowhere to confess to Kyouko, in his underwear no less, the way he’d duelled Mochida on Kyouko’s behalf, and to the general disbelief of the world at large, actually _won._

But there was also the less obvious. The new transfer student who had kicked Sawada’s desk over in a rage but still looked at him like he was the only real person in the room, the baby that Hana had noticed out of the corner of her eye, stalking Sawada, the fact that Hana was pretty sure the only other person who had noticed said baby was Hibari Kyouya. It was all terribly suspicious, and Hana did not like not having the answers.

Actually, maybe Kyoko’s plan to go and study at Sawada’s house made sense after all. Maybe Kyouko wanted answers too, and had just decided to be direct about getting them. Sawada was after all, obviously the centre of whatever the hell was going on, and really it shouldn’t be _too_ hard to terrorise the answers out of him. Gently of course. Hana had seen the way Kyouko had looked at the transfer student after he kicked Sawada’s desk over, pure Rage, clearly she didn’t want Sawada harmed in any way shape or form, and as far as Hana was concerned, what Kyouko wanted, Kyouko got. So no actual terror, more gentle persuasion, that was fine, Hana could do gentle, or at least reasonably civil, and if the last couple of days were any indication, Sawada was a fair bit tougher than he looked.

There was a part of Hana that was just _dying_ to figure out where he’d been hiding that strength and why, and just what had changed two days ago to make him start actually showing it. Curiosity had always been one of her overriding vices, it was something she and Kyouko had in common. Well, they’d find out soon enough, Hana knew exactly what kind of a force of nature Kyouko could be when she wanted something, and it was obvious to Hana at least that Kyouko wanted Sawada and his secrets both.

…

It was something of a surprise to see the transfer student at Sawada’s place, clearly hanging on his every word like an attention starved puppy, especially since prior observation had indicated he didn’t like Sawada at all. Kyouko didn’t seem surprised though so obviously something must have changed while Hana wasn’t paying attention. Whatever, not the main issue at hand. There were answers to be extracted.

Before Hana could start in on the questions, they were interrupted. They were interrupted by the same deeply suspicious baby that had been stalking Sawada, which Hana took as yet more evidence that something weird was going on, and lo and behold she was _right._

“Mafia.” The baby said. “I’m a hitman” he said. “Dame Tsuna is a mafia heir” he said, and of _course_ the first boy Kyouko showed any genuine interest in would turn out to be a mafia heir, Hana wasn’t sure why she’d expected anything different.

Well on the one hand that explained a lot. On the other it didn’t actually explain very much at all. It explained what had changed two days ago, and why Sawada was acting both suspicious and frazzled, and it even kind of explained Gokudera, to the extent that anything could be said to explain Gokudera. What it didn’t explain was what any of that had to do with Sawada’s sudden attacks of self-confidence, and they were attacks, unexpected, and disruptive, and likely to leave him incapacitated after. It also didn’t explain the baby that Hana was increasingly sure wasn’t actually a real baby, or the way that both Sawada and Kyouko’s eyes had started glowing orange under stress, or why Sawada had spent so much time running around in his underwear lately. She said as much.

“Dying will,” She was told by the not-really-a-baby. “Sky flames,” he explained. “You have Cloud” he told her, and then utterly failed to give any satisfactory explanation as to how _any_ of it worked or what it had to do with organised crime. Hana _hated_ children, but she was starting to think she hated fake children even more. _No-one_ should take that much vindictive satisfaction in being pointlessly enigmatic.

“I’m a Storm.” Gokudera had offered shyly when Sawada had looked at him questioningly, after clearly giving up on fake-baby-Reborn as an information source. Gokudera actually blushed when he realised he had Sawada’s full attention. It was weird. Hana had known Gokudera for less than a day and already she knew that shy was not usually a Gokudera thing, what on earth did Sawada _do_ to him. Then, when Sawada had asked for more details, he’d put on a set of glasses and launched into what seemed to be a full university level lecture on the theory of Dying Will Flames and their real life applications in the mafia, complete with diagrams. Turned out Gokudera was smart underneath all the attitude, Hana was pretty bright herself, and she was still pretty sure a lot of it was going over her head.

What she took away from the lecture. First, that the mafia had magic colour coded, fire based superpowers with a weather theme, powered by force of will because apparently life had turned into a shounen manga when she wasn’t looking. Second, that both Tsuna and Kyouko were Skies, and therefore had to collect a set of all the other powers. Third, that Kyouko had already collected her, and Sawada had collected Gokudera, something that Gokudera was absolutely over the moon, dancing in the streets, happy about. And finally, that Skies could also collect each other forming something called a Sky pair, merging their sets and amplifying the power of all involved by a hundredfold, intimidating all and sundry in the process. Kyouko and Sawada were of course, well on their way to achieving this state, because Kyouko was terrifying like that and Sawada was looking to be the same way.

Well, it explained the glowing eyes at least, and Gokudera’s sudden one-eighty in personality. It was looking like there wasn’t going to be an explanation for the not-really-a-baby any time soon, but that was fine. Hana could do patient, no doubt it woud come out eventually, at the most inconvenient moment possible. She knew enough for now anyway, enough to be going on with. If the softly burning looks Kyouko kept exchanging with Sawada were any indication then Kyouko was not planning on backing out of this mess, and that meant Hana had work to do.

She was probably going to need to ask Gokudera to help her figure out how to activate and use her Flames at some point, because it was now clear that if Kyouko wanted to keep Sawada, then she’d have to fight for him. And if Kyouko was fighting, then of course Hana would be too, that was just the way things were. Hana wasn’t fool enough to turn away any advantage Flames might give her when it came to that fight, not when Kyouko was at stake. From the way he looked at Sawada, she rather suspected Gokudera would agree with her on that point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hana somehow finds herself approving of Tsuna despite herself. She definitely doesn't approve of Reborn though. Kyouko and Hana now know as much about the mafia as Tsuna does, but not as much as Hayato and Reborn do.  
> Kyouko is looking at sweet and cuddly Tsuna and thinking that she Refuses to let the mafia eat him alive he's hers now, she's keeping him.  
> Hana is looking at Kyouko and thinking that Kyouko's about to drag her into yet another mess and she's actually kind of looking forward to it.  
> Hayato is looking at Tsuna and thinking yes, this is the most important person in the world. He's kind of scared of Kyouko, kind of terribly impressed by her, their first meeting left quite an impression. He'll warm up to her quickly enough. He already approves of Hana's devotion to her Sky and general effectiveness.  
> Next chapter is back to Tsuna's pov, and Ryouhei makes an appearance.


	4. Daffodils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Reborn arrived it has been getting steadily harder for Tsuna to distinguish between dreams and reality, but this is a very good dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to Tsuna's pov. Definitely going to have this fic primarily alternating between his perspective and Kyouko's.

Over the last few days Tsuna’s life had become utterly surreal. As if hitman babies and magic mafia superpowers weren’t bizarre enough on their own, Kyouko chan was in his _house._ She was in his house and eating the cookies he and his mother had made earlier, and she kept _looking_ at him like she wanted to eat him all up. He’d had _dreams_ about just this scenario.

Tsuna half wanted to panic about that. The old him, the parts of him that had been insecure and nervous, and unable to deal with conflict would have panicked. Because Kyouko was the most popular girl in the school and what the hell was she doing even paying attention to dame Tsuna? Kyouko at his house was a sign of a world turned on its head, and a part of him couldn’t help but flail in confusion.

But there was a warmth in his chest now that couldn’t help but _purr_ at the evidence of his chosen mate’s regard. That she would sit so easy in his home territory, that she would let him feed her, that she _wanted_ him in ways that were new and so very exciting. It felt _right,_ in ways that made no sense when he allowed himself to think about it.

Reborn’s dying will bullets had cracked something inside him and now he _felt_ things with an urgency that he hadn’t known was possible. He’d wanted Kyouko before of course, who could resist such elegant power, but it had been a quiet, hopeless longing. He’d never have actually made any kind of a move on her. Now though, now everything was different, he wanted so much it _burned_ and he wasn’t content to sit back and dream anymore. He wanted her to chase him, to catch him, to curl up in his kitchen and never leave, and the power, the familiar and yet unfamiliar warmth that had welled up through the cracks Reborn’s bullets left, it had acted on that wanting, had said all the things he’d never _dared_ say.

And now Kyouko was in his kitchen, eating his food, looking at _him_ and his panic at the sheer unreality of the situation was being smothered by the bone deep satisfaction of having her here, having her want him.

Her eyes were burning orange he could see, and he wondered a little if that fire was reflected in his own eyes. He could feel the warmth coming off her, strands of her soul brushing up against his own, curious, considering, testing, and instinct whispered that his own soul must be reaching out the same way.

“So if Tsuna kun is a mafia heir, what does that make me.” She asked, polite tone a velvet glove over the steel of her gaze. Hayato looked a little nervous as he answered.

“Well, if you do bond with him, then that makes you his partner in everything, including that. So that would make you every bit as much Vongola decimo as he is.” Hayato paused for a moment while he considered. “I mean it’s not really something that comes up a lot, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes.”

“Why wouldn’t it come up often?” Kurokawa pounced, she always was sharp, especially when she sensed weakness, it was obvious why Kyouko chan treasured her so.

“Sky pairs are pretty rare.” Hayato explained. “I mean part of it is probably that Skies are so rare to begin with, and part of it that famiglias try to keep young Skies apart to prevent… inconvenient connections, but basically it means that true Sky pairs are vanishingly rare. I’ve never met a bonded pair of Skies before, in fact I’m pretty sure the last recorded pair was Vongola ottave and Cavallone settima back during the war. I wish I could tell you more, but there’s so little data available.” He looked so miserable at not being able to offer more information that Tsuna couldn’t resist wrapping in in a spontaneous hug. The way he tensed at the gesture, leaning in, wanting, but not quite believing he was allowed to hug back, was nearly enough to break Tsuna’s heart.

Honestly Tsuna wasn’t sure he was entirely happy about the idea of Hayato going home. Clearly he wasn’t being taken care of properly, not if such simple acts of affection were so unfamiliar to him. Maybe Tsuna should ask his mother to make up a bed in the spare room, it would feel so good to be able to keep his Hayato safe and happy at home with him. But no, he had to have self-restraint, Hayato might be perfectly happy at home, no making Hayato stay unless Tsuna was _sure_ something was wrong.

“It’s ok Hayato.” He promised, reassuringly. “You’ve been very helpful. We don’t expect you to do the impossible.” The way Hayato’s face lit up at Tsuna’s approval was both gratifying, and worrying. A few words of praise shouldn’t be so precious, not if there was someone taking care of him the way they should. Who was Hayato even living with, and where?

Tsuna asked. Hayato answered. Tsuna didn’t like the answer much. Neither did Kyouko, by the slightly murderous look in her eyes. Even Hana looked unhappy about it, and she wasn’t usually one for sympathy. Well that settled things then. There was no way leaving Hayato on his own in some apartment in the bad part of town was an acceptable course of action. Hayato was _his,_ part of his household, he belonged at home with him, where he could feel safe, and happy, and loved.

“You’re moving in here now.” Tsuna told him “There’s a spare room. You shouldn’t have to be alone when we have plenty of space for you”. The look of awestruck wonder in Hayato’s eyes made the warmth in Tsuna’s chest purr even louder. Kyouko’s approving nod was just the icing on the cake.

…

It was late, almost dark by the time Kyouko left. Hayato and Hana had drifted off into a corner where they were discussing something intensely in hushed tones, with the occasional wild gesticulation, or hurriedly scribbled diagram to illustrate a point, and Reborn had long since disappeared off to wherever he went when he wasn’t bringing chaos to Tsuna’s life, so Tsuna and Kyouko chan were left more or less alone. They’d talked a lot, about the mafia, and flames, and the issues at hand at first, but later about more personal things. About Kyouko’s fears for her wayward brother, and Tsuna’s ambivalent feelings towards his absent father, about Kyouko’s Hana, and Tsuna’s Hayato, and the faint, newly spun threads of connection between the two of them. And they’d talked about the world, about how it wanted Kyouko meek and Tsuna fierce, and that wasn’t what either of them wanted to be. Tsuna had never known it could be so easy to talk to another human being.

He hadn’t wanted her to go really. But her family was waiting for her at home, and it wouldn’t be right to make them worry. It would be fine, he would see her again tomorrow. Maybe she’d even stay for dinner next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Tsuna and Kyouko are in the early stages of courting, and they're both very interested and very compatible but they're still getting to know each other, so they aren't actually bonded yet. Give them a little bit of time though.  
> And now that Tsuna's Home Sky instincts have been released from the seal he's having trouble suppressing the urge to feed everyone and wrap them in blankets, and bundle them all into a pillow fort where they can stay forever and ever.  
> It's especially hard with Hayato because Tsuna is becoming increasingly sure that Hayato really needs to be wrapped up in blankets and fed, and not only that but if Tsuna suggested it, Hayato would probably let him.  
> Next chapter back to Kyouko's pov. A wild Ryouhei appears, if Hibari wasn't Hibari he'd probably be in trouble for stalking, and Takeshi has issues.


	5. Hyacinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Springing Ryouhei on an unsuspecting Tsuna was probably a bit much, on the other hand springing Takeshi on an unsuspecting Kyouko was also kind of a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyouko has so many plans.

Kyouko wondered if maybe she should have tried to warn Tsuna about her brother. The poor thing was looking just a little overwhelmed. Then again it was kind of hard to warn people about Ryouhei. Words never quite did justice to his… extremeness.

He meant well of course, but poor Tsuna really wasn’t equipped to deal with so much energy so early in the morning. Then again, protecting Tsuna from the world was Kyouko’s job. She glared at her brother and visualised swatting him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. It was a technique she’d been using on him long before she’d ever heard of Flames, and she’d always just attributed its effectiveness to sibling telepathy. In hindsight the Flames probably explained rather a lot.

She'd dropped by early so she could walk Tsuna to school, and of course it hadn't taken long for Ryouhei nii to notice she was walking to school with a boy. Actually it hadn't taken long for the whole school to notice that, and hadn’t that been the scandal of the month. It was one of the more irritating consequences of being the school idol. Everyone and their mother wanted to know about her personal life and then give their _opinions_ about it.

Hana of course, just told her to ignore them, that their opinions were worthless anyway. Hana was rather missing the point. Yes the whispers were annoying, but Kyouko had put _years_ of work into her public image at this point, she had put a considerable amount of effort into carefully manipulating the school hierarchy to place herself at the top, and she intended to _stay_ there. Social status was a powerful weapon and she refused to surrender it simply because the whispers irritated her. She was perfectly capable of managing the situation, given a few weeks she could make it so no-one would dare admit to ever thinking that she and Tsuna weren’t a suitable match.

But where everyone else whispered, Ryouhei nii shouted, so she'd have to deal with him before she took care of the rest of the school population, if only for the sake of avoiding unnecessary dramatics. She loved her brother, but sometimes it took careful handling to make sure he didn't make too much of a scene.

"This is my boyfriend Sawada Tsunayoshi. " She smiled brightly. "Isn't he just adorable." Right on cue, her Tsuna blushed and looked away shyly in a way that made it all but impossible to see him as any kind of threatening. She could see Ryouhei’s heart melting at the display but just to be sure Kyouko gave her brother the steely eyed look that told him he'd _better_ agree that Tsuna was adorable. It was a particular kind of entertaining watching the gears in Ryouhei nii's head screech to a halt and change direction in the face of Kyouko's determination and Tsuna's obvious harmlessness.

Ryouhei had obviously been warming up to a properly threatening big brother act, and just as obviously didn't know what to do now that Kyouko had knocked the wind out of his sails. Luckily, Tsuna was able to offer him some direction.

"Um, hi. You're Kyouko's oniisan right? It's nice to meet you." He blushed again. Kyouko could feel Tsuna's warmth reaching out, brushing gently against the fire bright connection that had linked her and Ryouhei since before she could speak. She could see the exact moment that her brother decided how to categorise Tsuna, the protective blaze of his aura expanding to cover Tsuna along with Kyouko.

"Extreme little brother. Call me oniisan." He declared with a beaming smile, and from the number of spectators they had picked up it appeared that Kyouko's attempts to avoid a scene had not been entirely successful, but it was worth it, to have her brother's public support. After all, few people were stupid enough to openly cross Ryouhei. Now anyone thinking of bullying her Tsuna would have a loud and obvious reason to think twice.

...

Sky flames, Kyouko mused, really did explain so much. Like how she’d always been able to tell when Ryouhei was in trouble, or when Hana was right on the edge of shredding some unfortunate soul to pieces for one inane comment too many, like the way she could always find the people that mattered to her. Now that she was consciously aware of it she could almost see the burning bright threads that connected her to them, telling her where they were, how they were, if they needed her, but the connections still ran far deeper than simple conscious thought.

When Tsuna started broadcasting distress so sharp and sudden she could _taste_ it, she was on her feet and halfway to the roof almost before she realised what was happening.

She arrived just in time to watch as Tsuna tried to convince Yamamoto not to jump, just in time to see him succeed, only to slip and fall, and nearly stop her heart in the process. She hadn’t realised just how attached she’d already become, not until she saw him fall, too far away for her to catch him. It was terrifying, and exhilarating, and if he’d died at that moment they probably wouldn’t have been able to count the bodies, because he was _hers_ and losing him was not acceptable.

Reborn’s special bullets and Tsuna’s own will were enough to avert disaster, but Kyouko still wasn’t feeling especially charitable towards Yamamoto Takeshi as she made her towards the point of impact. At least, she wasn’t until she got closer, close enough to look into Yamamoto’s eyes, to see the desperate edge of a boy trapped and lonely, and right on the edge of losing himself.

Kyouko knew that look. She’d seen it in the mirror more than once, sometimes not even Hana had been enough to drive it away. It was the wild empty look of someone who was close to losing themselves in the maelstrom of what everyone else wanted, expected, needed them to be. She saw that shatteringly familiar look in Yamamoto Takeshi’s eyes, and it occurred to her that Takeshi didn’t even have as many true connections as she did, no Hana, no Ryouhei, no Tsuna, or Hayato, or Reborn. No-one that he didn’t have to live up to a mask for, and she shuddered to think what might have become of her in his place.

She couldn’t be angry with him after that, even if he _had_ put Tsuna in danger. She understood too well what had driven him to the edge, so when she finally stood face to face with him, she didn’t shout at him, didn’t Rage, and burn, and make him suffer for putting her Tsuna at risk. Instead she reached out a hand, in greeting, in understanding, in support, along with an invisible thread of orange that offered something more, and felt the rightness of it when he reached back with a thread of blue so faint it almost faded into the scenery. It wasn’t a full connection, he wasn’t hers yet, not even as much as Tsuna was, but it was real and she knew given time, he would be hers, the same way Hana and Ryouhei were hers, the way Hayato kun was Tsuna’s. Yamamoto Takeshi needed a cause, a purpose in life, and that was something Kyouko couldn’t help but offer.

From the knowing smile Tsuna was giving the two of them, he saw it too, _knew_ it, in the way she was starting to suspect Skies _knew_ things. Intuition had been mentioned, in amongst all the explanations of mafia politics, with that odd emphasis that meant Reborn and Hayato were alluding to Flame related abilities.

Speaking of mafia politics, probably they should have a serious conversation with Takeshi kun before this went any further. She wanted him to be hers, Tsuna wanted him as well, even if he wouldn’t admit it, and she could tell Reborn fully approved, but Takeshi still deserved to know in advance what he was getting himself into. She didn’t think it would scare him off but the mafia wasn’t the sort of thing you should just spring on people, no matter what Reborn seemed to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, after some consideration I decided that Takeshi is Kyouko's Rain rather than Tsuna's. I mean, elements are shared between them, but they will lean more towards one Sky or other depending on their own inclinations.   
> I made Takeshi Kyouko's partly because what Takeshi really needs is an active purpose, rather than a safe place to hide, partly because that then allows me to make Basil Tsuna's Rain, because Basil really does need somewhere safe to call home.  
> Ryouhei is mostly Kyouko's, partly because of proximity, partly because he's a bit too active to be happy at home all the time, i'm thinking of making Shouichi Tsuna's sun.


	6. Rosemary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reborn isn't sure whether to be irritated or amused at the way the Vongola's last resort candidate caught him of guard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reborn's pov. Because his thought process is always interesting to examine.

He’d been more impressed than he’d expected to be by the Vongola’s last resort, more impressed than he’d planned for, and he wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or irritated. Finding a resonant Sky pair where he’d been expecting to find a mostly useless civilian heir had been, well it wasn’t something anyone had seen coming. They’d caught him off guard and that was not an easy thing to do.

They were _strong_ too, both of them. Painfully civilian but strong for all of that, stronger than anything Reborn had felt in such a very long time and it brought up old old memories. Tsuna and Kyouko weren’t Daniela and Tiberia, weren’t even much like them really, but still, the strength in resonance, two mirrors reflecting off of each other into infinity, it was familiar enough to make Reborn remember, to make him think of them.

Sky pairs after all, weren’t common, even Reborn, with all his connections, and reputation, and years of submersion in the underworld, even he had met so very few. Daniela and Tiberia of course, a pair Fon had introduced him to in China, that odd semi active couple he’d run into in America, and of those Daniela and Tiberia were the only ones he’d known well. To some extent the feeling of a doubled Sky would always mean Cavallone Settima and Vongola Ottava for Reborn, and so despite himself he couldn’t help but compare.

Kyouko was more like Tiberia than Tsuna was like Daniela, for all that Tsuna was the one with an actual blood connection. Not quite the same but, maybe like Tiberia would have been if there had never been a war to strip her back to raw steel, and violence. Kyouko was all sharp edges wrapped up tight in silken good manners as though that made them safe, knives in jewelled sheathes and he really should see how the young War Sky took to bladework. There was a particular kind of power in evoking the image of previous generations, and coming in the way they were, with no history or credibility of their own to lean on, his students would need all the help they could get.

There was an edge of desperation under the poise as well, that he imagined a pre-war Tiberia might have shared, at the cage that social expectations could be when they didn’t quite _fit._ Not that he had any way of knowing for sure, he hadn’t known her then, back when rules and etiquette and society’s ideas about a “woman’s place” had still had a hold on her. Tiberia as he had known her was a war forged battle axe, feared by friend and foe alike, with no patience left for the subtle politics of social manipulation and no mercy for those who crossed her. But Reborn knew mafia men, knew the world in its broader sense, and he knew what Tiberia, as a princess, as a woman would have been expected to be. He knew Tiberia, and couldn’t imagine her being anything but infuriated, resentful, _unhappy,_ under those restrictions. Times and laws may have changed, but he looked at Kyouko, bitter, bitter, bitter, under the pretty smiles, and perfect feminine manners, at the way people looked at her and _expected,_ and reflected that some things hadn’t changed as much as people liked to think. Tiberia and Kyouko had more in common in that regard than most people would assume.

But for all the resemblance, there were differences too. Kyouko was less wild than Tiberia. Not weaker, the weight of her Flames was proof enough that she was strong, but steadier, calmer. The War Sky in her chafed against the restrictions, and assumptions that demanded she behave, and submit, and wait at home while others acted, but the Mist in her liked the social battleground in ways that Tiberia never could. She might hate the expectations that came with being the school idol, but she had fought for the position all the same, and loved the power it granted. She was Mist enough to love playing with people’s desires and expectations, almost as much as actual combat and it showed. Reborn was familiar enough with the impulse to recognise it in his student. She might not be entirely happy with what people wanted her to be, but she had far more of a talent for politics than Tiberia ever had, more than any War Sky Reborn had ever met really and that was something he could work with.

Tsuna, well, he was and wasn’t like Daniela. More gentle, and far less confrontational, but there was a core of devotion in him, a willingness to _fight_ for those he loved, to whatever was necessary to keep them safe and happy, and it was there that Reborn could see the family resemblance. Daniela had fought a war just for the _chance_ to give her own a home. He hadn’t known Tsuna long, but he doubted he would do any less, if he found himself in that position.

But there was a softness in Tsuna that, under other circumstances could have been a serious problem. Tsuna didn’t _like_ to fight. And it wasn’t just because he was a Home Sky. Daniela had never shied away from conflict. She was fundamentally more defensive than Tiberia, didn’t go looking for a fight for its own sake, but if an enemy had threatened what she loved, what was hers, the satisfaction she felt in eliminating them was undeniable. Tsuna though, he fought out of need, of desperation only and he hated it. In many ways, he fitted the social expectations placed on a teenaged boy even less than Kyouko fitted the expectations that girls were supposed to live up to, and he had far less of a gift for faking it. There was a certain twisted amusement to be found in the fact that Tsuna was bullied, essentially, for being the perfect housewife that their peers all expected Kyouko to be. Reborn made a mental note to dress Tsuna up in a frilly apron at some point. If nothing else it should help motivate Kyouko, and the look on that hypermasculine idiot Iemitsu’s face when he showed him the pictures would be priceless.

Without Kyouko, without a War Sky to balance him, Tsuna’s dislike of violence could have been a disaster, Reborn would have been forced to keep throwing him into life or death situations just to develop the skills he would need to survive. He wasn’t weak, but every time he fought he was fighting his own heart and that could have been fatal if he wasn’t pushed and pushed and pushed again until he was unstoppable. Reborn could have done it, he was the worlds greatest hitman, a renowned mafia tutor, an arcobaleno, he could have made Tsuna into the heir the Vongola needed. But it was probably better for all concerned that he hadn’t had to. The cost would have been high.

With Kyouko’s presence the problem was somewhat mitigated. She did like fighting, both with words, and in more direct ways, and it was clear to see that she would happily fight the whole world for Tsuna’s sake. Tsuna would have to be _able_ to fight of course, but as Home Sky, no one would look askance if he let Kyouko take the lead on that aspect of a boss’s duties. As War Sky it was properly her place anyway. Yes, on balance, it was for the best that Reborn had a pair to train as Decimo, even beyond the raw power that Sky resonance granted. Besides, the reactions of the old guard to finding such a powerful resonance in a pair of civilians should be the most delicious kind of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reborn has so many plans, so many.

**Author's Note:**

> So yes, Kyouko did in fact just ask Tsuna out, she also, inadvertently, subconsciously, offered to let him start one of the official traditional courting gestures from Home Sky to War Sky. Because food comes from the Home.  
> Reborn is just enjoying the chaos.  
> Hana has a feeling Kyouko is up to something. She's concerned. The last time Kyouko was up to something Hana ended up having to orchestrate a treaty between two mob bosses and the disciplinary comittee. Kyouko is a menace, and Hana has no idea how nobody else sees that.  
> And yeah, Tsuna has basically negative self confidence in this. He thinks he's useless, and the seal doesn't help with his state of mind, but he's actually pretty good at understanding people underneath the crippling social anxiety.


End file.
